Ink-distributing device.



E. P. JENNINGS, JR. INK DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27 I914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Emewonf iinmwg e/7r,

THE NoRkls PETERS CO. PHOTO-LITHO WASHINGTDN. D. C

E. P. JENNINGS, JR. INK DISTRIBUTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

e lwuewto'a EnwmmLl fm/zb s,(/

i i Macaw THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHoTO-LITHOU \VASHINGTON. D4 I E. P. JENNINGS, JR. INK DISTRIBUTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. I9I4.

L1%3,?64@ Patented June 22, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- THE NORRIS PETERS CO.,PHD1O-LITHO.. WASHINGTUN, D. L

EMERSON 1. JENNINGS, JR., 0F LEI-IIG-I-ITON, PENNSYLVANIA.

INK-DISTRIBUTIN G DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915.

Application filed March 2'7, 1914. Serial No. 827,556.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMERSON P. JEN- NINGS, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Lehighton, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ink-Distributing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference be ing had therein to the accompanying drawlhis invention relates to an ink distributing device and more particularly to an auxiliary distributing device .for use in conjunction with a ductor roller.

In that class of ink distributing devices in which the ink is transferred from the fountain to the inking surface by a revolving ductor roller it frequently happens under certain conditions that the ink will not be properly broken up and evenly distributed upon the inking surface and consequently is unevenly distributed over the face of the form which results in a streaked print.

The object of the present invention is to overcome this difficulty and provide an ink distributing mechanism which will thoroughly and efliciently break up the ink and cause it to be distributed uniformly over the inking surface. Further, it is desirable that the ink fountain roller should be in movement while the ductor roller is in engagement therewith but it has been found that the continuous rotation of this roller causes the ink to roll up back of it and prevents the proper feeding of the ink.

It is an object of the invention to overcome this difficulty by providing means which will positively actuate the fountain roller while the ductor roller is in engagement therewith but will allow the fountain roller to remain stationary at other times, thus permitting the ink to spread out and preventing it from being formed into a roll.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear portion of a press showing my invention applied thereto: Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the inking mechanism including the fountain and ink ing drum; Fig. 3 is a detail view of the actuating device for the fountain roller; Fig. A is a longitudinal view, partly in section, of the fountain roller and the actuating devices therefor; and Fig. is a detail view of one of the supporting pins and its locking yoke.

In these drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention and have shown the same as applied to a bed and platen press in which the form-bed is combined with an inking drum and has reciprocatory movement to move the form toward and away from the platen. It will be understood, however, that this particular type of press has been selected for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention is applicable to other types of presses and to inking surfaces other than the drum here shown.

As shown in the drawings the press comprises a frame consisting of side members 1 in which are slidably mounted blocks 2 which, in turn, carry a shaft 8 on which is mounted the combined form-bed and inking drum, the form-bed being shown at A and the drum at 5. As shown in the drawings, the inking drum is in its outermost position, that is, at the most distant point from the platen. Arranged near one end of the press and at a point considerably beyond the outermost limit of movement of the form-bed is an ink fountain 6 having an ink feeding roller 7. The ink is transferred from the roller 7 to the inking surface or drum 5 by means of a ductor roller 8 which is rotatably mounted in arms 9 rotatably supported at a point between the inking drum and the ink fountain, the relative dis tances being such that the ductor roller in the course of its revolution about the axis of its arms will engage the fountain roller and as it continues its revolution will engage the inking drum while the latter is at or near the outermost limit of its movement.

The ductor roller may be mounted in any desired manner but, in the present instance, I have shown the arms 9 as pivotally mounted on the respective arms of a bracket 10 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 11 journaled in the frame members 1 of the press. In order that the ductor roller may engage the fountain roller and the inking drum with a yielding pressure I have interposed springs 12 between the arms 9 and the bracket, the springs being preferably coiled about the aXis of the arms and so arranged that the arms will yield when the ductor roller engages the face of the inkng drum or fountain roller.

In order to more eificiently break up the ink and to cause the same to be uniformly distributed over the face of the inking drum 1 have provided in combination with the 'ductor roller a series of breaking up or distributing rollers. In the present embodiment of the invention I have shown three such rollers but it will be understood that one or more auxiliary rollers may be employed as may seem desirable in view of the particular work to bedone. As here shown a metal roller 13 is secured to the shaft 11, which shaft is positively driven from a moving part of the press in any suitable manner, preferably by means of a sprocket wheel 14 anda sprocket chain 15. Mounted in the arms of the bracket 10 and bearing against the driven roller 13 is a distributing roller 16 which is preferably a composition roller and which, in turn, bears against a second distributing roller 17 which is also preferably a composition roller and which is journaled in the arms of the bracket 10 in a position to engage the duetor roller 8.' Vhen the ductor roller has engaged the fountain roller 7 and removed a supply of ink therefrom it will move into engagement with the outermost distributing roller 17 as soon as it has cleared the fountain roller. The distributing rollers are rotated from the driven roller 13 and the ink which has been taken up by the ductor roller is thoroughly broken up by the action of these rollers and is returned to the ductor roller-and distributed uniformly thereon so that this roller will distribute the same evenly to the inking drum. The bracket which carries the ductor roller and the distributing rollers may be revolved in any suitable manner but, in the present instance, the bracket has an elongated hub 18 which projects beyond one of the side members 1 of the frame and is provided with a sprocket wheel 19, or other suitable driving member. It will be noted that the two distributing rollers 16 and 17, as well as the ductor roller 8, revolve about the driven roller 13.

As has been stated it is desirable that the fountain roller should rotate during the period of its contact with the ductor roller. In order that this movement may be properly timed with the movement of the ductor roller I have provided an intermittent driv ing mechanism for the fountain roller which is actuated by the revolving bracket which carries the ductor roller. It is also desirable that the ink fountain should be removable in order that different colors may be used for different jobs without the delay and trouble incident to the cleaning of the fountain. To enable the fountain to be quickly and easily removed without interfering with the actuating device for the feed roller I have so arranged the mechanism that the fountain as a whole is carried on the shaft of the roller and have detachably connected this shaft with the actuating device.

lnions constitute the shaft for the feed roller 7. These trunnions are removably mounted on the side members of the press frame and form the sole support for the fountain. The rear portion of the fountain is, however, provided with depending slotted arms 32 which extend about the laterally projecting pins or rods 33 and are provided with stop devices cooperating with these pins to hold the fountain against movement about the axis of the roller. Preferably, the stop devices are adjustable so that the inclination of the fountain can be varied. In the present instance, the stops comprise cotter pins 3% adapted to pass through any one of a series of holes in the respective arms and to rest upon the respective pins 33. The actuating device for the roller comprises a stud shaft 35 journaled in one of the side members 1 of the main frame and having on its inner end a ratchet wheel 36 adapted to be engaged and actuated by a pawl 37 carried by a pitman 38 which is preferably slotted, as indicated at 39, to engage a reduced portion 40 of the stud 35, this reduced portion preferably lying between the ratchet wheel and the frame member. The pawl 37 is preferably counterweightcd, as shown at 4:1, to hold the same yieldingly in engagement with the ratchet wheel. The pitman may be actuated in any suitable manner but I prefer to drive the feed roller 7 in timed relation with the movement of the ductor roller and I have, therefore, provided the pit-man 38 with an eccentric strap 4-2 which extends about an eccentric 43 mounted on a hub 44 of the bracket which carries the duetor roller. The eccentric is so adjusted relatively to the ductor roller that movement will be imparted to the ratchet wheel and, consequently, to the fountain roller during the period that the ductor roller is in engagement therewith. Further, it will be understood that while I have shown the cocentric as mounted on the hub of the bracket it may be mounted on the shaft 11 or move ment may be obtained from any moving part of the press which will enable the movement of the fountain rollerto be properly timed.

To enable the fountain roller and, consequently, the fountain as a whole to be readily removed without disturbing the actuating mechanism I have provided the inner end of the stud shaft 35 with a non-circular opening 45 and have provided the trunnion 30 of the roller 7 with a non-circular end portion adapted to fit in the non-circular recess in said shaft, thus causing the two parts to rotate in unison. The opposite end of the roller 7 is supported by means of a suitable stud or pin 46 mounted in the side member of the main frame and having its end reduced, as shown at 47, and extending into a socket 4-8 in the adjacent end of the trunnion 31. This pin may be mounted on the frame and held in position in any suitable manner but, in the present instance, I have shown it as loosely mounted in the frame member and as having an annular groove 4-9 to receive a locking yoke 50 which is slidably mounted upon the frame member and which serves to hold the pin 46 in operative engagement with the trunnion 31. Thus, by sliding the yoke 50 upward and withdrawing the pin 46, lateral movement may be imparted to the fountain sufficient to disengage the trunnion 30 from the shaft 35 and allow the fountain as a whole to be lifted out of the press and, if desired, another fountain to be substituted therefor. By providing means whereby the shaft 35 may be rotated, such as a non-circular recess or socket 51, arranged to receive a wrench, the feed roller 7 may be rotated during the filling of the fountain to cause the ink to be distributed throughout the length of the fountain. I also prefer to make at least one of the distributing rollers adjustable so that the contact between the several rollers may be adjusted. To this end I have mounted the distributing roller 16, which lies between the roller 13 and the roller 17, in bearing blocks 27 slidably mounted in guideways 28 formed in the respective bracket arms 10. The bearing blocks are adjustable by means of screws 29 extending into the upper and lower portions of the guideways. In this manner the contact between the intermediate distributing roller and the other rollers may be regulated.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention it will be understood that this has been chosen for the purposes of illustration only and that I do not desire to be limited to the details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain, and a ductor roller to transfer the ink from the fountain to the inking surface, of an auxiliary distributing device traveling with said ductor roller and cooperating therewith to break up the ink before it is delivered to said inking surface.

In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain, and a revolving ductor roller to transfer the ink from the fountain to the inking surface, of an auxiliary distributing device traveling with said ductor roller and cooperating therewith to break up the ink before it is delivered to said inking surface.

3. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain, and a ductor roller to transfer the ink from the fountain to the inking surface, of a distributing roller arranged to engage said ductor roller during its passage from the fountain to the inking surface and means to rotate said distributing roller during said passage.

4. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain, and a ductor roller to transfer the ink from the fountain to the inking surface, of distributing rollers moving with said ductor roller and cooperating therewith to break up the ink during the passage of said ductor roller from the fountain to the inking surface.

5. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface,- and an ink fountain, of a ductor roller having bodily movement about an axis and arranged to successively engage said ink fountain and said inking surface, a distributing roller revolving with said ductor roller in normal engagement therewith, and means for rotating said distributing roller during the bodily movement of said ductor roller.

6. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of a ductor roller having bodily movement about an axis and arranged to successively engage said ink fountain and said inking surface, a positively driven roller mounted on the axis about which said ductor roller moves, and a distributing roller interposed between said driven roller and said ductor roller and normally in engagement with said ductor roller.

7. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of a positively driven roller arranged between said inking surface and said fountain, a bracket mounted to rotate about the axis of said roller, a ductor roller carried by said bracket and arranged to successively engage said ink fountain and said inking surface, and distributing rollers interposed between said driven roller and said ductor roller.

8. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of a positively driven roller arranged between said inking surface and said fountain,

a bracket mounted to rotate about the axis.

&

tween said inking surface and said fountain, a bracket mounted to rotate about the axis of said roller, a distributing roller carried by said bracket and adapted to have movement imparted thereto by said driven roller, arms carried by said bracket, a ductor roller journaled in said arms, and springs acting on said arms to hold said ductor roller normally in engagement with said distributing roller and permit the same to yield when it engages said drum and said fountain.

10. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of a roller mounted between said inking surface and said fountain, a bracket rotatably mounted on the axis of said roller, means to impart independent rotation. to said bracket and said roller, a ductor roller yieldably mounted on said bracket, and a distributing roller interposed between said ductor roller and said first-mentioned roller.

' 11. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of a roller mounted between said'inking surface and said fountain, a bracket rotatably mounted on the axis of said roller, means to impart independent rotation to said bracket and said roller, a ductor roller yieldably mounted on said bracket, distributing rollers interposed between said ductor roller and said first-mentioned roller, and means for adjusting the contact between said distributing rollers.

' 12. In a printing press, the combination, with a main frame, an inking surface carried by said frame, and an ink fountain also carried by said frame, of a shaft journaled in said frame between said surface and said fountain, means for positively rotating said shaft, a roller mounted on said shaft, connected bracketsvrotatably mounted on said shaft, one of said brackets having an elongated hub, means carried by said hub for rotating said brackets, a ductor roller yieldably mounted on said brackets, and distributing rollers rotatably mounted on said brackets,-said rollers being in contact one with the other and one of said rollers engaging the first-mentioned roller and the other of said distributing rollers being normally in engagement with said ductor roller.

- 13. In a printing press, the combination,

' with an inking surface, an ink fountain comprising a normally stationary feed roller, and a revoluble ductor roller having continuous movement in one direction and arranged to engage said feed roller once during each revolution of said ductor roller, of

means other than said ductor roller for imparting movement to said feed roller while said ductor roller is in engagement therewith. r

14. In a printing press, the combination,

with an inking surface, an ink fountain comprising a normally stationary feed roller,

and a revoluble ductor roller having continuous movement in one direction and arranged to engage said feed roller once during each revolution of said ductor roller, of means other than said ductor roller controlled by the movement of said ductor roller for rotating said feed roller while said ductor roller is in engagement therewith.

15. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain comprising a feed roller, and a revoluble ductor roller arranged to engage said feed roller once during each revolution of said ductor roller, of a ratchet wheel connected with said feed roller, a pitman, a pawl adjustably mounted on said pitman to engage said ratchet wheel, and an operative connection between said revoluble ductor roller and said pitman.

16. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an inking fountain comprising a feed roller, of a revoluble bracket, a ductor roller carried by said bracket adapted to engage said feeding roller, an eccentric connected with said bracket, a pitman connected with said eccentric, a ratchet wheel connected with said feed roller, and a pawl carried by said pitman to actuate said ratchet.

17. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain comprising a feed roller, and a revoluble ductor roller arranged to engage said feed roller once during each revolution of said ductor roller, means other than said ductor roller for positively actuating said feed roller while said ductor roller is in engagement therewith, and an auxiliary ink distributing device cooperating with said ductor roller.

18. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, an ink fountain comprising a feed roller, and a revoluble ductor roller arranged to engage said feed roller once during each revolution of said ductor roller, means for actuating said feed roller while said ductor roller is in engagement therewith, and a constantly rotating ink distributing roller mounted to revolve with said ductor roller and cooperating therewith to feed the ink from said ink drum to said inking surface.

19. In a printing press, a source of ink supply comprising a feed roller, an inking surface, an ink distributing device comprising a revoluble ductor roller arranged to successively engage said feed roller and said inking surface during each revolution, an ink distributing roller coiiperating with said ductor roller during its revolving movement, and separate means for actuating said distributing roller and said ductor roller.

20. In a printing press, a source of ink supply comprising a feed roller, an inking surface, an ink distributing device comprising a revoluble ductor roller arranged to successively engage said feed roller and said inking surface during each revolution, and a driven ink distributing roller normally in engagement with said ductor roller and co operating therewith to break up the ink on said ductor roller during its revolving movement.

21. In an ink distributing device, a source of ink supply comprising a feed roller, an inking surface, an ink distributing device comprising a revoluble ductor roller arranged to successively engage said feed roller and said inking surface during each revolution, means for actuating said revoluble ductor roller, a second roller, means for driving said second roller, and a distributing roller interposed between said second roller and said ductor roller and driven by said second roller.

22. In a printing press, the combination with an inking surface and an ink fountain, of arms rotatably mounted on an axis arranged between said inking surface and said ink fountain, a ductor roller carried by said arms and adapted to revolve about the axis thereof and to successively engage said fountain and said inking surface, and a driven distributing roller carried by said arms and arranged to normally engage said ductor roller.

23. In a printing press, the combination, with an inking surface, and an ink fountain, of arms rotatably mounted on an aXis arranged between said inking surface and said ink fountain, a ductor roller yieldingly mounted on said arms and adapted to re volve about the axis thereof, a distributing roller mounted on said arms and normally in engagement with said ductor roller, and means to rotate said distributing roller during the revolving movement of said ductor roller.

24. In a printing press, the combination, with a frame comprising side members, an ink fountain comprising a feed roller having trunnions at its ends, and a ductor roller rotatably mounted on said frame, of a stud shaft journaled in one of said side members and having a recess to receive one of said trunnions, a stud mounted in the other of said side members and having a part adapted to engage the other of said trunnions, a pitman operatively connected with. said stud shaft and having an eccentric strap, and an eccentric engaging said strap and connected with said ductor roller.

2-5. In a printing press, the combination, with a frame comprising side members, an ink fountain comprising a feed roller having trunnions at its ends, and a ductor roller rotatably mounted on said frame, of a stud shaft journaled in one of said side members and having a recess to receive one of said trunnions, a stud mounted in the other of said side members and having a part adapted to engage the other of said trunnions, a pitman operatively connected with said stud shaft and having an eccentric strap, an eccentric engaging said strap and connected with said ductor roller, and adjustable devices for holding said fountain against movement about the axis of said roller.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EMERSON P. JENNINGS, JR.

Witnesses:

P. M. GRAUL, ELIZABETH B. GAssNnR.

tlopiea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

